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Santa Cruz hiker missing in Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is searching for John Paul Chaufan Field, 22, a college student who is attending the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC).

Chaufan Field was last seen near Kibbie Lake in the Hetch Hetchy area of northwestern Yosemite National Park. He was last seen on Saturday, May 19, where he was on a backpacking trip with a group of
fellow students from UCSC, who were conducting an outdoor recreation trip.

The UCSC group began their backpacking trip from Cherry Lake on Friday, May
18, and set up camp near Kibbie Lake that evening. At approximately 11
a.m. on Saturday, May 19, the group planned a day hike from their campsite
at Kibbie Lake.

Chaufan Field decided not to join the group. This was the
last place that Chaufan Field was seen.

Yosemite National Park is asking anyone who was in the area of Kibbie Lake
over the weekend to call the Yosemite Emergency Communication Center at
209-379-1992. Phones will be answered 24-hours a day, 7-days per week.

Chaufan Field is 5’ 5” tall, weighs 120 pounds, and has black hair and
brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a eyeglasses, an earth colored baggy
plaid button-up long-sleeve shirt, an olive/brown undershirt, cut-off denim
shorts, and Vibram Five-Finger shoes.

Approximately 50 personnel are assisting in the ground search, including
Search and Rescue teams from Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue,
Contra Costa County, Marin County, Monterey County, and the Bay Area
Mountain Rescue Unit (BAMRU). Additionally, the park helicopter and a
California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter are assisting ground teams in
the search for Chaufan Field. Search dogs are also being utilized in the
area.